Students build 3D printed mobile mini-house

April 7, 2014

Professor and architect Peter Ebner and his workshop students have developed a 3D printed mobile mini-house. This house measures about 50ft2 and was built for young citizens who lives alone and spends not so much time at home.

With the rise of city and trend towards denser urban living, the desire for excessive space has transformed towards a will for efficient, functional living. As a response to this demand, the students created such a compact home for efficient living and modern lifestyle.

Comprising students from the University of California in Los Angeles, University of British town of Huddersfield, Munich Technical University and the Center for Entrepreneurship and University of Applied Sciences, the full-scale mobile prototype was completed last fall.

Working with 3M futureLAB and voxeljet, this 2.2×2.2 meter micro-apartment was printed with a sand-based material and a specially made glue. It offers essential components such as a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom, additionally, it also features an integrated multimedia system with a rear projection screen that takes the majority of the main wall.

The "dome" shape of the house allowed for easy integration of most of the furniture. Under the floor there are also two compartments for storing folding chairs. The bedroom is accessed via a ladder where an Oculus window provides light and fresh air. Ceiling lamps and further LEDs provide also additional lighting in the night.

In order to save space, a movable kitchen counter-top with a sink covers the bathtub. A two-person kitchen table can be extended out of this space. A small fridge is also available, while the bathroom is equipped with a special folding toilet which can be hidden in the wall.

The main features, including the support structure of the house and all essential components were printed on 3D printer.

Looks like an interesting experiment in space utilization. Maybe transferable to private cabins aboard a space exploration vessle or less expensive cabins on a cruise ship. Other than that, I fail to see much use.
Even if you could make them very cheap (to rent) I doubt even a college student would rent it for more than a semester or two. Can you imagine bringing a date back to it? trying to lay out materials for a project or to study (especially if you needed to break and have a meal)?
Perhaps in other parts of the world, where people are used to having far less personal space than in the US, but I just dont see it working here.

Dean wrote at 4/9/2014 5:19:46 AM:

It is OK, so long as you don't mind living in a squash (Cucurbita) looking blob. Again, these horrible designs, give 3D printers a bad name!
Seriously, this thing looks like something you might use to survive in as an escape pod from a sinking ship or a space-station. Does "modern design" have to be so "ugly".

JaB wrote at 4/8/2014 2:09:35 PM:

As a student in Cambridge If you could make these places very, very cheap to rent I know a few people who would cash in, demand is so high here that the student rental market is through the roof in price.
Cheap.Simple.Reliable and Central
Why not!

G wrote at 4/8/2014 8:10:48 AM:

Do I need to do these post-processing tasks for the mini-house for myself ? I rather to live in my self built wooden mini-house would be much easier and cost effective.

3dbleh wrote at 4/8/2014 6:23:59 AM:

It has a toilet?
I can't imagine taking a dump and then going back watching TV.
...just saying.

Bill wrote at 4/7/2014 6:33:32 PM:

How much, can my son have a place of his own at the end of the garden ?

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